Don Hastings(I)

Held the record for longest-serving actor on a television serial for many years.

William Roache, who plays Ken Barlow on the British soap Coronation Street (1960) was widely believed to be the record-holder, but Don Hastings had portrayed Bob Hughes in As the World Turns (1956) for two months longer than Roache has played Ken. However, since As the World Turns (1956) was canceled in September 2010, William Roache had taken over the record from November 2010 onwards.

"In the summer of 1955, when Captain Video and His Video Rangers (1949) went off the air, I was so identified with "The Video Ranger", I didn't do another TV show until September. It was the longest period of not working I ever had".